This invention is in the field of agricultural equipment, and in particular such equipment used dividing standing crop to allow passage of a wheel br implement with reduced crop damage.
In certain agricultural field operations such as spraying, and recently pushing canola into a lodged position, it is necessary to drive an implement through a standing crop. Crop dividers are well known wherein a V-shaped divider is provided in front of a wheel to push the crop to each side and reduce the amount of crop that is pushed to the ground by the wheel.
Such crop dividers work well where the crop is standing fairly straight, however where the crop is standing at a pronounced angle the plants can be dragged and bunch up on the divider requiring the operator to stop and clear it. Also some crops, such as canola, have a plurality of laterally spreading branches and so are more susceptible to tangling and resistance as the divider moves through them and attempts to separate the plants on one side from those on the other. Cereal crops such as wheat have a single stem with a head at the top and so such tangling is much less frequent in these crops, although the presence of weeds can be problematic.
Canadian Patent Number 2,226,468 xe2x80x9cApparatus and Method for Use in Harvesting Crops of the Genus Brassicaxe2x80x9d to Rourke, discloses an apparatus and method for harvesting canola and similar crops by pushing same into a lodged position to prevent shattering and then harvesting with a conventional header by travelling in the direction opposite to the direction the crop is pushed.
The apparatus includes dividers for separating the crop plants as it advances through the field. In tangled heavy crops, which are common with crops such as canola, the plants with their many branches frequently engage the divider and drag, in some cases becoming uprooted, soon causing a bunch requiring the operator to stop and clear it.
It is the object of the present invention to provide a crop divider that produces less resistance to the forward motion of the implement through the field.
It is a further object of the invention to provide such a crop divider that reduces tangling and bunching of plants on the divider.
It is a further object of the invention to provide an improved apparatus for pushing canola into a lodged position for harvesting, providing less down-time for clearing bunches, and improved height control.
The invention provides, in one aspect, a crop divider for separating crop plants on one side of a line of travel from those on an opposite side of the line of travel and pushing the plants away from the line of travel to allow passage of an implement portion along a forward travel path while reducing contact of the plants with the implement portion. The crop divider comprises a vertically oriented V-shaped member adapted for mounting on the implement forward of the implement portion, the V-shaped member having an apex located substantially in the center of the travel path and facing forward, and right and left legs extending rearward and outward beyond edges of the travel path; and a vertically oriented cutter mounted on a forward edge of the apex of the V-shaped member.
The cutter at the front of the V-shaped member cuts those plants that it contacts, however the legs of the V-shaped member actually serve to part the plants prior to contact with the cutter as the V-shaped member essentially sets up a wave in front of it that parts the crop, such that many less plants are cut than if the cutter passed through the crop without a V-shaped member behind it. As portions of the cut plants generally fall to the ground and are lost, it is desirable to minimize the number of plants that are cut.
In a second aspect the invention provides an apparatus for pushing crops into a lodged position comprising a crop pushing surface inclined down and rearward from a top forward edge to a bottom trailing edge and extending perpendicular to a forward travel direction from a left end to a right end thereof. The crop pushing surface is mounted on a frame for movement in a forward direction along the ground by a vehicle mounted behind the frame to engage the crop pushing surface with a standing crop so as to push the standing crop from a standing position to a lodged position. A vertically oriented V-shaped end divider is mounted on the frame forward of the crop pushing surface at the right and left ends of the crop pushing surface, each V-shaped end divider having an apex located substantially on the respective end of the crop pushing surface and facing forwards an inside leg extending rearward in approximate conformity to the crop pushing surface, and an outside leg extending rearward of the respective end of the crop pushing surface. A vertically oriented V-shaped wheel divider is mounted on the frame forward of each wheel path of the vehicle, each V-shaped wheel divider having an apex located substantially in the center of the respective wheel path and facing forward, and right and left legs extending rearward in approximate conformity to the crop pushing surface. A vertically oriented cutter is mounted on a forward edge of the apex of each V-shaped end divider and each V-shaped wheel divider.
A gauge wheel may be mounted behind the apex of the dividers between the legs of the V to control the vertical position of the crop pushing surface.
The cutter may be a sickle cutter bar, a rotary cutter with a deflector or other cutting tool capable of shearing plants.